A cost/benefit analysis of self-care initiatives in the European Union – who benefits, who gains?

Abstract

Background Recently, European health systems are compelled to implement cost containment measures while simultaneously maintaining or even enhancing high quality health care. To achieve this, initiatives promoting patient involvement in case of minor ailments (“self-care”) are considered promising. Methods A cost/benefit analysis (CBA) was conducted covering modified access to prescription drugs, extended range of authorized prescribers and internet/telephone information portals. Subject to limited data availability costs …